There is more going on in the aphasia recovery scene than meets the eye. Online Speech Pathology Programs.net lists 101 links that explore aphasia issues. While many are oriented to the professional, some are applicable to the aphasic and their caregiver. Check out the side bar also about blogs, tools, apps and materials.

This information was supplied by Megan Oelke, University of Washington Aphasia Lab Support Group Coordinator.

Help an aphasic person by helping others feel more comfortable while interacting with them. The American Stroke Association, issued two posters about aphasia and how to communicate through speechless barriers. Download and share these handouts with family members, caregivers, advocates and medical support personnel.

“Crossing the Void: My Aphasic Journey” is a 2013 blue ribbon winner, having been awarded first place category winner of the Chanticleer Book Reviews Journey Awards for Narrative Non-fiction Enlightenment.

Aphasia stroke caregiver and survivor alike benefit from associating with a support group. Live too far away to join a group? Power up your computer and link to an online support group. One I recommend is http://www.strokenetwork.org/. There, you will find resources, chat rooms, blogs, expert advice, a bookshop and a monthly newsletter that is sure to include an article of your interest.

The newsletter this month featured an aphasia support group. In it, Claudia Warner described the “Friends of Aphasia” activities that encouraged communication skills and social interaction. For more detail, read the article, “The Juggling Caregiver” by Claudia R. Warner:

Phonomotor Therapy for Aphasia research shows encouraging results. This study reduces speech to its lowest common denominator by emphasizing the development of phonic (sound) skills as opposed to the traditional whole-word therapy method.

“More than Words” features the Western Washington University SLP program and speech clinic. “Graduate students at Western’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic help children and adults overcome communication problems.” Take a good look at what speech therapy education entails.

“More than Words” Western Washington University Window (Fall/Winter 2012), 25-28 by Borzilleri, Meri-Jo.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a highfalutin term that encompasses all forms of communication other than oral speech. When an aphasic stroke victim experiences severe language difficulties, or when recovery proceeds more slowly than they wish, AAC may be a boon. Traditionally, AAC has included facial expression, gestures, pictures and letter boards. Today, electronic devices with apps are included.

In a small group discussion, VA Merit Grant Phonomotor Treatment study participants shared some of the AAC electronic devices they used. Some of the participants could speak, but writing was difficult. Some were not able to read, but could understand what was spoken to them. Some of the devices they used spoke out text messages, emails, letters and even books for them. Others translated the aphasic’s speech to written words.

When aphasia took my words, I wanted to meet someone who had recovered from it. I wanted to know how they did it. In the end, the how that worked for me came with great difficulty because it did not come from speech therapists.

At that time, traditional aphasia therapy emphasized learning one word at a time. Yet the one word at a time approach was too high a threshold for me because the foundation of speech is in the sounds that words make. Assisted by school teacher friends, I learned to speak by learning to read aloud. Although I did not know what was happening at the time, it was because I was first forced to absorb sounds (phonics) before I could process words.

Oral reading was not completely foreign to the speech profession at the time, but it was not utilized. A report by Ron Cole and Leora Cherney wrote about Oral Reading for Language in Aphasia with Virtual Therapist (ORLA) studies conducted in 1986 and 1995. They stated, “Interestingly, the earliest studies of ORLA indicated that individuals improved not only in reading comprehension, but also in other modalities, including oral expression, auditory comprehension, and written expression.”

I am hopeful a new study called Phonomotor Therapy for Aphasia is moving the profession in the right direction. The rationale of the study is to provide an experimental speech therapy where individual sounds of the English language are trained. This summer I observed several sessions and came away very excited about its promise. Today I attend an event where the data collected from this large treatment grant will be presented. Hopefully, my aphasic mind will be able to absorb enough of what I hear to be able to share with you.

To the literacy council coordinator, I was explaining that I wanted to help an aphasic stroke victim whose speech therapy had “run out”. I felt her speech might benefit from developing better reading skills. Did the literacy council ever work with aphasic stroke students?

She asked if I’d written a book. When I confirmed I had, she said, “We had an aphasic gentleman on our waiting list, but we didn’t know how to serve him. After I read your book, I was able to match him with a mentor.” Mentioning this conversation at a stroke support meeting, the man next to me said, “That is me. That is me!”

He told us his stroke took place 23 years ago. In the first four years after his stroke, he could speak four words. After 12 years, 80 words. Then, in the last four and a half years, he had been helped by a literacy council in California and now the Whatcom Literacy Council. His English teacher mentor helped him learn to read. Although his speech is still halting, he is able to speak competently in complete sentences. When asked if learning to read aloud helped his speech, his unequivocal answer was, “Yes!”